136. A Narrow Escape

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Le Qianxue smiled lightly and said, "He knows that I am in your hands; he will definitely come to save me."

Zi Ye gently shook his head. "You are too naive. Do you realize that I have already spread the news about Yu Yao? I know he must have some grudge against Yu Yao; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been looking for her all these years. I suspect he went to find Yu Yao first. Missing this opportunity will only make it harder to find her again."

Le Qianxue felt a heavy weight on her chest. Zi Ye had actually done this. Now, she wasn’t even confident that Zhan Lianjing would come to save her.

Which was more important to him—Yu Yao or her?

Le Qianxue’s expression changed, and Zi Ye grew even more pleased. After all, he didn’t like Zhan Lianjing; it was better if Le Qianxue disliked him too.

If he wanted Le Qianxue to dislike Zhan Lianjing, then he would make her give up on him completely.

With that thought, Zi Ye felt clever.

But fate took a sudden turn. The wooden plank of the room was abruptly lifted. Le Qianxue was caught off guard, and the figure who appeared was very close to her. She was a little surprised.

Zi Ye tried to pull Le Qianxue back with his string, but unexpectedly, his string was snapped by the force.

Zi Ye became furious. How dare someone block him? They must have no regard for their own life!

The dark figure flashed quickly and swept Le Qianxue into his arms.

Le Qianxue was momentarily stunned, but when she saw the silver mask, tears welled up in her eyes.

Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck as she leaned closer, finally feeling at ease.

She had been on guard against Zi Ye for days, her nerves stretched taut. Now that someone she could rely on appeared, how could she not be moved?

She never imagined that Zhan Lianjing would give up searching for Yu Yao and come for her instead.

Zhan Lianjing gently patted her shoulder and said warmly, "It’s okay now, I’ve come."

Le Qianxue sniffled and said, "You took quite a while; I waited for a long time."

Seeing the two so affectionate, Zi Ye was about to lose his mind.

He glared coldly at them and said, "Isn’t it you? Aren’t you crippled? Yet today you dare come here to snatch someone from me?"

Zhan Lianjing replied coldly, "She belongs to me. Don’t say the wrong thing again."

Zi Ye pointed at Le Qianxue and said, "Little beauty, don’t you think the same? I’ve treated you well these past few days; you’ve seen it with your own eyes."

But Le Qianxue had never thought highly of Zi Ye, so she nodded without hesitation.

Zi Ye was nearly furious; he had never been so disrespected before.

He was desperate, "You’re nodding? I am your—" but then he stopped abruptly, no longer speaking. He was still angry, shooting Le Qianxue a few glances before seemingly giving up and turning his gaze to Zhan Lianjing.

"Cripple, if you want to snatch her from me today, you’ll have to get through me first."

Zhan Lianjing pulled Le Qianxue back slightly to avoid hurting her. Le Qianxue clutched his sleeve, her face full of worry. Zi Ye’s strength was formidable; if they clashed, it could be mutual destruction. She could not bear to see Zhan Lianjing injured.

Suddenly, she said, "If you fight, Master Wenzhi will get hurt. Zi Ye, it’s better to just let us go."

Zi Ye hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, as if considering agreeing.

But then he snorted, "You’re funny. If I let you leave and the story spreads, how will I save face?"

Zi Ye certainly would not agree. Zhan Lianjing understood his nature and said, "Then let’s fight. No need to waste more time."

Zi Ye sneered disdainfully and flicked his fingers, causing a subtle change in his string—it was about to slide toward Zhan Lianjing’s neck.

The string was controlled deftly by Zi Ye’s inner strength.

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Le Qianxue saw Zhan Lianjing quickly block the attack, the clash producing a sharp metallic sound.

The two wielded equal inner strength. Zhan Lianjing’s swordsmanship was fierce, and Zi Ye’s control of the string was intricate, resulting in a fierce, evenly matched duel.

Le Qianxue watched anxiously. These were two masters facing off; she barely caught the movements. The string from Zi Ye occasionally flicked to the side, scattering wood chips everywhere.

Suddenly, Le Qianxue gasped and covered her face.

Both men stopped immediately, not just Zhan Lianjing but Zi Ye as well, who leapt to Le Qianxue’s side.

"What happened?"

"Little beauty, what’s wrong with your face?"

Both asked anxiously.

Zhan Lianjing gently took her hand and saw a small scratch on her cheek. Fortunately, it was minor, not bleeding, just a reddish mark.

It was caused by the wood chips. Zi Ye frowned, "It actually injured you? Will it scar? It’s my fault."

The wood chips had been flung out by the string. Zi Ye no longer cared to fight Zhan Lianjing, feeling a bit guilty.

Le Qianxue shook her head softly. "I’m fine. Stop fighting. Master Wenzhi might get hurt. Why won’t you listen to me? Zi Ye, isn’t Master Wenzhi your teacher? Can’t you consider the situation?"

Zi Ye was left speechless. Hearing that, he seemed unreasonable.

He glared at Zhan Lianjing, unwilling to concede but also not wanting to continue fighting.

Besides, he couldn’t let Zhan Lianjing take Le Qianxue away.

"Cough, cough. Qianxue is right. Zi Ye, you always act on your own whims, no matter the consequences—even my life, an old man’s life, you disregard," said Master Wenzhi.

The two fought so fiercely, the boat was nearly falling apart, swaying dangerously. It was no wonder he hadn’t woken up.

Zi Ye hurried over and said, "Master, but he wants to take away my little beauty."

Zhan Lianjing was a bit angry. What did he mean by "my little beauty"? It was outrageous.

Master Wenzhi whispered a few words into Zi Ye’s ear. Zi Ye looked over with a glare at Zhan Lianjing, a mix of resentment and anger.

After a while, Zi Ye coldly said, "Fine, you may leave. Hmph. Zhan Lianjing, if you ever treat my little beauty badly, I’ll snatch her back and kill you. Remember that."

Zhan Lianjing thought it sounded strange, like a father-in-law scolding him.

Master Wenzhi quickly waved his hand, "Go quickly, don’t stay here. He might change his mind. Girl, when I recover, I will definitely come to find you."

Le Qianxue nodded and smiled gratefully at Master Wenzhi.

Except for his depleted inner strength, Master Wenzhi was fine; his wound would heal quickly, so she had no need to worry.

She pulled Zhan Lianjing and left the room. As they departed, she seemed to hear Zi Ye muttering discontentedly, "Master, I’m not convinced. What if she gets deceived?"

That was a strange remark, but Le Qianxue didn’t think much and left.

Because of the damage, the boat docked at the shore.

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Zhan Lianjing and she went ashore at a secluded small pier.

Zhan Lianjing said, "There’s a small town nearby. We can stay there tonight. Then it will take three days to return to the capital."

Le Qianxue asked, "By the way, is Yun Ge all right?"

Zhan Lianjing said, "She’s fine. That little girl was used by someone. She even came back crying to find me."

They walked along a somewhat remote path, a narrow trail.

Le Qianxue thought for a moment and said, "She’s still somewhat innocent. But it’s because Yu Yao is too perfect in her heart. She simply trusts Yu Yao."

Zhan Lianjing sighed, "Even I, her brother, don’t believe her, but she trusts Yu Yao. I must send her back safely."

Le Qianxue suddenly said with a hint of bitterness, "I heard from Zi Ye that he told you Yu Yao’s whereabouts. Why haven’t you gone after Yu Yao?"

She stumbled on a stone underfoot. Zhan Lianjing quickly caught her to prevent her fall.

His tone was a bit stern, "How can you not watch your step and be so jealous?"

Le Qianxue was a little embarrassed and tried to pull away, but he held on tightly.

"Once I catch you, I won’t let go, so I don’t have to worry about someone tricking you away," Zhan Lianjing said gravely. "I’ve dispatched Haoyue with people to pursue Yu Yao. Whether they catch her or not isn’t that important. But I know if I don’t come to save you personally, no one can defeat Zi Ye. You wouldn’t come back otherwise. Every time you leave, I have to come personally to bring you back."

Le Qianxue felt the warmth of his palm and smiled.

She held onto his hand, refusing to let go as they walked.

After a while, Zhan Lianjing suddenly remembered something.

He said, "Why don’t we stop by Medicine King Valley on the way?"

Le Qianxue’s face lit up with joy, "Really?"

She wanted to visit Medicine King Valley again to gather herbs. The whole valley was full of them. Going there would save her a lot of money and allow her to collect many precious herbs not found outside.

"Last time, I hurt Yuan Tianci. I want to apologize," Zhan Lianjing said. "After all, he is your friend. I shouldn’t have treated it lightly."

Le Qianxue giggled, "Tianci is so generous. You should kneel three times and kowtow nine times to him."

Zhan Lianjing’s mouth twitched. What kind of status did he have that he had to kneel and kowtow?

His face was cold, but the mask covered it, so Le Qianxue couldn’t see.

Seeing her smile, he felt that last time he had indeed gone too far.

Now that she was with him, Yuan Tianci would be unhappy. There was no need to put her in such a dilemma.

...

(Tianjin)

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